


Something Old, Something New

by animebawseqween



Category: Fast & Furious (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Au- Idk I made it up, Brian wins the first race, Fluff, Jesse never died, Letty is understanding as hell, Nonbinary Character, Other, Pansexual Dominic Toretto, Sex, Smut, Social Worker Brian O’Connor, This might be self insert, Vince is less of an asshole, no beta we die like men, not straight sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:14:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28209645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animebawseqween/pseuds/animebawseqween
Summary: In the circle the Toretto’s ran in, there was always something or someone new coming along. They rarely ever really stuck, but occasionally something would get shaken up a bit.When Brian O’Connor races to ensure his younger sibling’s safety, things certainly get shaken up. But no one is exactly sure if Achilles O’Connor will be able to stick it out with the Toretto’s. Even if it’s for their brother.***This could be considered self insert, I’m not sure. Also, I wrote this because I want to so fuck off if you don’t like it. Unless you have valid reason in which case I am happy to hear feedback :)
Relationships: Brian O'Conner/Mia Toretto, Dominic Toretto/Original Nonbinary Character
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

The sound of cars engines revving and running and loud music filtered through Achilles’ ears, despite them being multiple streets away from the racetrack. They continued through their path of back alleys and side streets until they were sure they were at they were at the right spot. 

They caught a glimpse of the large and rowdy crowd near the track and ran behind a three story building. Since they were already here they decided this building looked fine, they decided that it would be fine to watch the race from and set off searching for a way in. It took them almost no time to find an open window. Achilles had never been more thankful that LA was hot as balls.

 _“ Ha, look at me now Brian. Being all safe.”_ They taunted their brother in their head. As they got up to the roof, they remembered that Brian had specifically told them to wait at the diner and not show up at the race tonight. 

Swinging their feet over the edge and getting comfortable, Achilles searched for their older brother in the crowd. It wasn’t difficult to find considering that he was acting more like Achilles than himself. 

He was standing completely stiff and straight and his hands were fidgeting. Achilles was the nervous and twitchy O’Connor child and Brian was the cautious yet sure of himself O’Connor child. 

They could hardly blame him for being nervous. Achilles wasn’t going back to their parents house, and the race was going to be the decider between whether or not they had somewhere to go. 

“ Alright alright, pony up everyone. Two large you know the deal,” a loud man said obnoxiously. Apparently this was hilarious because the entire crowd stopped their conversations laughed almost fakely it was so loud. 

Frankly Achilles didn’t find it that funny, but they were also more focused on watching their older brother walk over to the small group of racers and moderator. 

Achilles almost laughed out loud when Brian skipped talking to the moderator and went straight up to another racer. That was until they realized that the racer he had walked up to was Dominic Toretto. 

He seemed like a totally normal guy hanging out at the track, which completely shocked Achilles because they- like everyone else- had heard his reputation.

Sure, all he did now was race and run his garage. Toretto had apparently even started doing the after church barbecues that his father was famous for. But they also knew about the time that he did in LOMPOC and what he had been in for. 

He was clearly capable of hurting someone, that much was clear by his large muscular stature. It wasn’t that they couldn’t believe that he did what he did, it was that the way he carried himself and seemed to act didn’t seem like the same kind of person that would beat a man almost to death. 

Achilles wondered what it would be like to live with him, but they didn’t have enough time to do so when the moderator nodded. 

Excitement bubbled up in Achilles’ chest as Brian moved the ‘95 Eclipse they had outfitted together up to the starting line with the other cars. 

A woman stepped out in front of the cars and pulled out a scarf and the cars began to actually wind up for the first time that night. It wasn’t just for show, or to keep them warm while they were parked, but they were actually running. This was the sound of cars ready to run over 220 miles an hour.

The excitement in Achilles’ chest was replaced with hope when she dropped the scarf and Toretto and their brother pulled ahead easily and quickly compared to the other racers. 

Brian edged his way in front of Toretto and it seemed like Toretto was getting jumpy due to the fact that he apparently hadn’t lost a race in a long time. 

In a moment of what had to be divine intervention, Toretto hit his NoS a couple of seconds to early, sending him in front of Brian, but only temporarily. 

Brian hit the NoS a couple of seconds after Toretto, at the correct moment. The correct moment meaning that he sped across the finish line just as Toretto ran out of the “super-fuel”. 

Achilles smiled, pumping their fist in the air in pride. Brian had said that he would find them somewhere to go, no matter how, and he had delivered on that promise.

Deciding that they had seen enough of the race tonight, Achilles ran back towards the back alley. They through themself off the edge of the roof, grabbing onto the top rung of the ladder and kicking off of the wall to stop them from falling to their death. 

They climbed down the ladder as quickly as possible and took off running back towards the diner that they were supposed to have be waiting in. They were almost there when the police sirens began to ring in their ears. 

Someone had called the cops in the race, and they were heading as quickly as possible towards the track. It was almost certain that they wouldn’t get anyone, seeing as everyone who attended was a professional racer with souped-up cars. 

“ Hey Mark, are you still on shift?” Achilles called as they went back to their table from the beginning of the night. 

Mark appeared from the kitchens “ Yeah, and your know this because you’ve been here with me all night. Like Brian asked you to be.”

Achilles nodded, “ Good, just remember that when Brian comes to get me.”

Mark nodded and placed a cup of coffee on the table in front of them. “ You got it boss,” he said with a wink. 


	2. Chapter 2

“ Achilles! Achilles! We need to get out of here as quickly as possible!” Brian yelled as he ran into the diner like a madman.

Achilles shot up at the sound of their brother’s frantic voice.

They panicked for a second, thinking Brian might’ve noticed them watching the race. Then they remembered the cops.

“ Did you win?” Achilles asked taking a final sip of their coffee and running towards Brian and out the door with him.

Their older brother nodded hastily, “ Yeah I won, but the cops showed up and guess what, we’ve got a guest in the car so you’ve got to sit in the back. Sorry, I know you hate doing that.”

Achilles shrugged, they simply wondered if Brian had picked some random race bunny. “ I’ll just kick them out. Nobody takes my spot. Especially not in my car.”

Brian laughed and just gave Achilles a knowing look before slipping in his side of the car. Achilles mirrored their brother flinging the passenger door of the Eclipse open. “ Get out this is my spot.”

A low chuckle came from the passenger in the car, definitely not some random race bunny. “ I don’t think so,  Pumpkin . You can get in the back.”

Achilles wanted to strangle whoever this idiot was sitting in their spot. “ Listen  Pumpkin , this is my car and I’m sitting in the front, so get in the back.”

A loud scoff came from the from the passenger in the car, but before they could say anything Brian leaned over and grabbed their sibling’s hand. “ Listen, you can sit on Toretto’s lap for all I care Ach. We’ve got to go now though so make a decision quickly.”

Achilles ground their teeth together. Normally they would just give up and get in the back, but something about Toretto set them off. Out of pure stubbornness, and mild stupidity because Toretto scared the unholy shit out of them, Achilles climbed into the Eclipse’s passenger seat and closed the door behind themself.

They spent sometime getting comfortable on Toretto’s lap, avoiding looking even close to Toretto’s direction. It was awkward and the air was thick in the car.

“ So Bri, where are we going?”

Brian kept his eyes on the road, not willing to face the tension in his car. “ I’m not sure yet. I won the race, so eventually I’ve got to take you to Toretto’s, but I’m not sure when or where we’re going. I have to work on the Davidson case tomorrow, so I’m hoping to get home early enough to actually catch some shut-eye.”

Achilles nodded, “ The Davidsons, is that that couple that adopted that massive set of siblings so they wouldn’t have to be separated?”

” Nah, I’m handling the adoption right now. They fostered them before and they’re trying to adopt them right now, even though some of the kids are over the age of eighteen.”

“ That’s so sweet of them,” Achilles said as Brian took a sharp turn throwing Achilles back into Toretto’s body.

Achilles blushed and sputtered, pulling themself forward on Toretto’s right leg.

“ I’m so sorry Mr. Toretto. It was an accident and it won’t happen again.”

Sure, Achilles would’ve killed Toretto for stealing their spot, but they weren’t impolite, and also Toretto could kill them if he wanted to.

Thankfully, Toretto just laughed and adjusted his seating to give them more room to sit. “ Call me Dom, everyone does. And you might to worry more about the cops your brother is driving us straight towards than how you’re sitting.”

Achilles looked ahead and noticed that Dom was right. There was a massive hoard of cops on the road in front of them.

“ Oh shit, Brian are you going to do what I think you’re about to do?” Achilles asked, looking around trying to find something that would be able to restrain them. They were far enough away that they had some time, but things are going to get rough really soon.

Brian nodded and smirked at his younger sibling. “ Bet you’re wishing you got in the back where you could have a seatbelt on huh?”

Achilles nodded, biting down on their lower lip and nodding. They were ashamed to admit it, but Achilles had a tendency to become nonverbal when they were stressed. This was an unideal time to have it happen, but it was the reality of their current situation.

Achilles tapped Brian on the arm and gave him the hand signal that verbal communication was a no-go.

“ Shit!” Brian swore sharply. “ Uh, okay. Umm, okay, okay. Dom, I need you to hug Achilles to your chest, now. Things are about to get rough.”

Dom nodded and Achilles felt his arms wrap around them and they were pulled against a sturdy chest. Dom’s arms were warm and firm, just like his legs.

They didn’t have anymore time to think about how Dom’s arms felt around them, because Brian began weaving them through the throng of police cars.

The Eclipse was weaving through police cars fast and they were being thrown in multiple directions as Brian made whiplash turns around the police cars.

Achilles felt a bubble of anxiety building up in their throat and in a moment of complete and utter insanity, Achilles turned around buried their face in his chest, whimpering.

“ Hey, shush,” Dom said stroking down their hair. “ It’s gonna be okay. You’re brother’s an incredibly talented driver. He beat me remember, and that nobody’s ever done that before.”

Achilles laughed as the car began to slow down and level out. The humming of the engine stopped being erratic and became calming once again.

“ There we go. See life’s not so bad,” Dom said softly.

Achilles wanted to ask if he’d done something like this before, but they were still not talking apparently.

In just a couple of seconds, there were motorcycles pulling up on either sides of the car.

This time it was Dom swearing sharply under his breath. “ Brian follow these guys. I’m not kidding Brian, do what they want even if it makes you uncomfortable.”


	3. Chapter 3

Achilles felt adrenaline coursing through their veins to replace the nervousness and anxiety as they pulled into an empty parking lot behind the bikers. 

Achilles and Brian had been living in LA for a couple of months after their parents moved closer Achilles down to be closer to Brian and his new job, but they still didn’t recognize the part of town the bikers had lead them to. 

Before anyone could say something, a man in snakeskin pants and a leather jacket with a gun strapped to his hip banged on the hood of the car. “ Get out. Now!”

Dom nodded to Brian when he looked over at them for approval. “ Do what he says.”

They scrambled out of the car, Achilles almost falling several times. They lined up in front of the bikers at the same time that another, much more expensive, car pulled into the parking lot behind them. 

A man stepped out from the drivers side. He was big- in terms of muscle- but not as big as Dom. “ Well well well, Toretto and,” he paused and his lips curled upwards in disgust. “ And friends.”

Something about him set Achilles off, and not in a good way. “ Who is that?” They asked in a hushed whisper. 

“ Johnny Tran, and that guy in the tacky snakeskin is his cousin Lance.” Dan answered in a equally hushed tone. 

Tran seemed to get upset that they were talking without him, and his face became slightly red. “ Toretto, I thought that I made clear that when we stopped doing business together, you stopped having the right to come here and act like you own the place. You’re not a big man anymore, you’re just like everyone else.”

Unlike Tran, Dom remained completely calm and composed. Something told Achilles that he had experience dealing with people much worse than Johnny Tran when they got upset. 

“ Johnny it was an honest mistake showing up here. These two are new around here and he got lost,” Dom explained motioning to Brian with a simple head nod. 

Johnny stepped forward and waved his left hand, making two of his goons appear behind the trio. “ Even if that were true, you still need to be punished.”

With a flick of Tran’s fingers the goons behind them all stepped to grab Achilles and drag them towards Johnny Tran. 

“ Now this little girly is a fine specimen,” he cupped their cheeks roughly and leant in close. “ And she’ll do fine as payment.” 

Now this guy was really starting to piss them off. They didn’t know what to be offended at more, that he was misgendering them, or that this guy thought that just because a woman existed, he had a right to them. 

In a small stroke of madness, they leant in towards Tran even closer, and pulled his hand off their face. “ Can I tell you a secret,” they said in a falsetto. “ This specimen has a penis.”

Achilles dropped their voice for the last sentence, while simultaneously kicking Johnny Tran in the balls. 

They ran away from Johnny as fast as possible, as he collapsed on the ground in pain. Achilles thought that they heard the sound of Dom and Brian’s footsteps following them out of the parking lot, but they didn’t turn around to check. 

They did however turn around when Brian’s voice called out their name. “ Achilles, we can’t leave the car! Come back!”

They saw Johnny Tran get up off the ground, and he looked way more upset than he had before. “ Actually, you can leave the car. I’ll be taking it as payment.”

Lance and the other bikers opened fire on the cars windshield, causing it to catch on fire. Achilles’ eyes widened, remembering that there were two cans of NoS in the car and a lot of other explosive shit. 

“ Brian, Dom, run! It’s gonna blow!” They screamed and made their way all the way out of the parking lot and onto the sidewalk. 

They stood still and panted, waiting for the others to catch up for them. Right on schedule, the car blew, leaving a faint ringing in Achilles’ ear. 

The bikers drove out of the parking lot, and Johnny followed in his car. They were alone again, almost likely super far away from the Toretto house. 

“ What the fuck just happened? Are you involved with shady people?” Brian seemed furious. 

Dom shook his head, “ Not anymore. When I realized where my business with Tran was going, I jumped ship. I’m just a racer and a mechanic.”

Achilles nodded, “ It doesn’t sound like you two didn’t exactly part amicably.”

Dim shrugged and starting walking, presumably towards his house. “ Johnny doesn’t like it when people try and break with him. And it probably doesn’t help that I slept with his sister.”

Achilles laughed, but Brian simply glowered before Achilles managed to get him to lightened up with a couple of jabs to the ribs. 

“ How long’s the walk gonna be, because it sounds like there’s a story there.”

Dom chuckled, “ It’s twenty miles back to Echo Park, so yeah, we’ve got time.” 


	4. Chapter 4

When they finally reached the Toretto house and Echo Park, Achilles felt like crying out with relief. 

Hanging right in front of them like a carrot on a stick was a bed- or even a couch they weren’t picky- that they could crash on and not worry about their parents, or how they fit in at their parents house and in LA. 

Everything had been leading up to this for so long and they had been exhausted the entire time that they had had been working on getting here. 

Right now there was one more obstacle holding them back from a good nights sleep. The party currently raging throughout the Toretto house. 

“ I’m gonna have to leave you here Ach, I have work tomorrow, but you can always call me if things don’t work out. Okay?” Brian placed a hand on their shoulder and pulled them to look at him. 

Achilles nodded and bit down on their lip. It was hard for them to believe that they were actually splitting up from Brian. For their entire lives, Brian and Achilles had been inseparable. Even when Rome turned their duo into a trio temporarily, they had always been by each others’ sides. 

Achilles breathed deeply and smiled a sad smile at their older brother before pulling him into a bone crushing hug. They didn’t want to let him go, but they knew what they had to do this. 

“ Don’t worry brother dearest, you can’t get rid of me that easily.” The younger joked as a year ran down their face. 

Brian nodded, before turning to Dom. It was stupid, but Achilles had forgotten that he was there. “ If anything happens to my sibling while their with you, you are going to regret it. That’s a promise.” 

Toretto nodded as Achilles walked towards the house again and stood at his side. “ If there’s one thing I understand, it’s the importance of family. I’ll make sure Achilles stays safe. No matter what.”

It was clear that a lot of work would have to be done if Brian and Dom were to actually become friends, but they had a mutual understanding. Achilles was Dom’s responsibility, and Brian was going to make sure he took that responsibility. 

“ This isn’t goodbye forever, just for now.” Brian left them both with that before walking away back to his own apartment. 

Achilles turned to Dom, who was turned to his house with an expression of anger painted across his face. 

Without giving Achilles a second thought or saying anything further, Dom walked into the house. Achilles followed him like a stray puppy- something that made them want to vomit. 

Walking into the Toretto house was like an immediate assault on their senses. The music that was loud but not overbearing before, now it was stronger than Achilles’ own thoughts. There were people milling about but there wasn’t enough room in Achilles’ mind to process that. There was the too much going on, and on top of all of it there lights flashing on and off at a rapid rate. 

Dom looked even more furious, Achilles followed his line of view to see that he was glaring at a man who was draped across a throne-like chair with women around him. 

“ What the fuck is all this?” Dom said, cutting directly through the carefully crafted mystique of the party. 

The man sitting on the chair looked up at Dom, immediately losing his cool facade and turning pale with fear. Before he said anything, his eyes flicked to Achilles. “ Who’s this?” 

Achilles stepped forward to introduce themself but Dom placed a hand on their chest. “ Achilles O’Connor, they’re staying with us for a while.” 

The man laughed a bit, and Achilles felt as thought he had just pressed a button to set of TNT. “ Dom, you can’t just bring a stranger into the crib. Whether your fucking them-“

Dom stepped toward him, and he promptly shut up. “ They were kind enough to come and get me when that race went to shit. Unlike the rest of you.” 

It wasn’t wholely untrue, an O’Connor had picked up Toretto, and Achilles was also there. 

“ Is this yours?” He asked the man, gesturing to the beer perched on the arm of the chair. He nodded, and Dom proceeded to scoop it up and grab another open one from the table. 

He sauntered back over to them, beers in hand, and handed one to Achilles. “ Come with me.” 

Everyone else seemed to breathe a little better once Dom had left the room. Everyone but one guy, who was standing in the corner alone, who seemed to be fidgeting with nerves. 

Achilles didn’t pay him any attention and took a sip of the beer- despite not being of legal drinking age- and followed Dom up the stairs. 

He was standing in front of a room, looking in through the door. “ You can sleep in here. I don’t know if you have anything you want to keep in here, but you can do anything with the room. Across the hall is the bathroom and the room beside yours is my sister Mia’s. Across from her is me.”

Achilles nodded and looked around the room. It was plain. White walls with a single bed with grey sheets and a blanket. 

Dom continued to give Achilles the lay of the land. They just sipped the bitter beer that they had been provided with and sat on the bed. 

“ Everything in the fridge is up for grabs unless it’s labeled, and everything in the cupboards is the same, but if you empty something you have to make sure it gets refilled. Understand?”

“ Check, check and check. I promise I’ll behave, I can’t thank you enough for taking me in.” 

Dom remained wary and uptight, Achilles had a feeling that unless it was with certain people he wasn’t the nurturing type. “ It’s business kid. Your brother beat me, so I’m taking you in. Make yourself useful and I’ll keep you around.”

Achilles nodded on last time, and Dom headed out, closing the door behind him. Out in the hallway, Achilles could hear two distinct voices over the music. 

“ Listen to me Dominic, I’ve always been supportive of you, but this is crazy. You can’t just bring someone into the house. Not after everything that’s going down-“

Dom interrupted whoever was speaking, “ Listen to me Letty. Vince is an ass, and what he said wasn’t true. You were at the race tonight, that blonde surfer boy that beat me. This was what he wanted if he won. Not the money, he wanted me to take care of his younger sibling. I’m doing it because I can imagine the situation without having to ask.”

The other person- Letty- sighed. “ Alright Dom, I’ll do my best to play nice.” 

“ Thank you,” Dom said, and Achilles heard two sets of footsteps walking away. 

Achilles laid down on the bed, tucking themself down under the cover and shutting their eyes. 

They had revelled too early in the small amount of success that was getting into the Toretto house in the first place. Becoming a welcome member was going to be another task entirely. 


	5. Chapter 5

When Achilles finally awoke, it was late in the afternoon. The sun was low in the sky but not quite setting, and a kind of warmth filled their room along with the orange light of the sun. 

It made Achilles pause. They couldn’t remember the last time that they had stopped and recognized the beauty in something as simple as the sun setting over the LA skyline. 

They hadn’t had time, not in between fixing the car, formulating the plan that they had executed and graduating from high school. 

They had time now though, they had all the time in the world to admire the simple beauties. 

Looking out the window and taking a mental picture, Achilles decided to try and get to know who they would be living with. 

They started with the bathroom, looking underneath the sink for the spare toothbrush that Dom had said would be there. Sure enough, still wrapped in it’s packaging, was a toothbrush. 

They sing themself a little song while they brushed their teeth, a habit that they had started when they were four. That was, until a knock sounded at the door. They gagged and choked on the toothpaste and checked the mirror. 

A beautiful woman was standing in the doorway of the bathroom, she was wearing leather pants and an animal print camisole. Her red tinted glasses were pulled low on her nose, and her boots looked heavy enough to crush bones if anyone kicked hard enough. 

“ So, you’re our newest pet. What’s your name kid?” Her tone was more than cold, it was slightly vindictive. 

Achilles spit out the toothpaste, not once disconnecting from the woman’s strong gaze. “ Achilles,” they said wiping the spit from the side of their mouth. “ Achilles O’Connor. What about you?”

” Letty Ortiz, Dom’s girlfriend. So, what’s your story?” 

Achilles shrugged, “ Nothing interesting. Home wasn’t a good place, so I needed to get out, but I needed to make sure I couldn’t get dragged back. You guys were the best bet.” 

Letty nodded, “ So a fighter, is that what you are?”

” Not really, just desperate. I was going to make myself some food since I just woke up, do you want anything?” Food had always been a good way for Achilles to get on people’s good side. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. 

Letty nodded, “ I could eat, but you aren’t cooking. Let’s go out, we can buy you some things to wear.” 

Achilles smiled at Letty, it was interesting for someone to be so frigid, yet so caring. It made Achilles wonder if this was what sisters were like. “ Thanks, I could use some new clothes since I didn’t bring any.”

* * *

  
Letty and Mia were something special. They were the two closest people to Dom, but they were like sisters to each other’s as well. They were nice enough to make Achilles feel welcome with their duo. 

“ Achilles, I have to ask you one thing. You don’t have to answer at all, but I was just wondering whether you were born male or female.” Mia asked as they pulled up to the house again for dinner. 

Achilles gulped hard, she was polite about it but it was the question that everyone always asked. What’s really in your pants?

” I’m not comfortable talking about it. It’s not that it’s anything shameful, I just don’t think the bits I had and have now matter at all. I am who I am.” 

They weren’t trying to cope up, despite their answer sounding like one, they just didn’t want to talk about it. 

“ Okay I understand. Hey Letty, do you know what Dom’s making for dinner tonight?” Achilles had never been more glad for a quick change of subject, especially since Mia made it seem so natural. 

“ He said something nice, suggested that maybe we should dress up, but he’s not gonna give a shit if we don’t.” Letty said, putting the car in park. 

Achilles headed up to their room to put their new clothes away. Mia and Letty followed, and Achilles was shocked. What were they doing following them?

” I know there’s no closet, but if you want to hand something you can do it in mine,” Mia offered, dumping out the bags of clothing. 

“ Thank you, and I promise I will pay you back for the clothes. Once I get a job.” Achilles promised as they sorted everything. 

Letty frowned even deeper, “ You don’t have to, but if you want a job you can always work at the garage like the rest of us. I saw that car your brother had, and I assume he didn’t do that himself.” 

Achilles laughed, “ He most certainly did not. That car wouldn’t have even been able to run without me.”

” I don’t doubt that. Your brother may be pretty, but he’s probably not as good with his hands as you are.”

Achilles wanted to ask about Mia calling Brian pretty, but they were interrupted by someone yelling up the stairs. “ 10 minutes everybody.” 

Achilles looked at Mia and Letty for some clarification. Thankfully Mia was quick to give it to them, “ 10 minutes left until dinner. Letty and I are going to set the table, why don’t you change into some clean clothes.”

Achilles nodded at they both walked out of the room. Looking over their new clothes, they weren’t sure what they should wear. They ended up wearing a leather skirt that Letty insisted they buy, and a tank top. 

They went to join the rest of the group at the dinner table, but more people were there than they thought.

Vince, the asshole from the night before, was sitting there. 

So was the boy that had caught Achilles’ eye the night before. 

Unfortunately, everyone stopped at looked at them in a variety of emotions. Dom, Letty and Mia included.

Dom was the first to speak. “ You look,” his voice was quieter than before, and it was more careful. “ Nice.” 

“ Alright everybody, sit down before this food gets cold.” 


	6. Chapter 6

Dinner was an awkward affair. That had been unavoidable and expected by Achilles, but none of that mattered because the experience had been lovely nonetheless. 

Mia and Letty- and Dom to a lesser extent- had ensured that Achilles stayed involved in the conversation to some extent. And had made sure that Vince stayed in check. 

The guy they had locked eyes with the night before was named Jesse, and apparently he was a wiz kid with cars. Meaning that Achilles liked him already. 

The most alien thing about dinner was, despite the fact that Achilles was the only one who stayed behind to wash them, everyone got up and cleared the dishes from the table together. 

Their whole life, it was Achilles’ job to do the dishes. The same that Brian washed the car and cut the grass. After every meal, everyone would stay out as Achilles loaded and washed the dishes.

This meant that it was normal for them to be standing at the kitchen sink, elbow deep in dirty dishes and hot water.

Totally alone, or so they thought. Someone clearing their throat behind them as they were halfway through the washing, causing Achilles to spin around in mild panic. 

Thankfully, it was just Dom. He was leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed.   
  


“ I see you met Letty,” he said giving Achilles’ whole body a once over. “ And that she got you some new clothes.”

Achilles scoffed and turned back to the dishes. “ Yeah, Mia and Letty have both been very helpful and nice. Everyone’s been great.”

Dom chuckled, “ You can be honest with me, I know everything about these guys.”

Achilles laughed, “ Yeah, Vince seems pretty aggressive, but he hides it well enough for me. Jesse seems cool, I’m gonna pick his brain for hours tomorrow.” 

Achilles could feel Dom smiling behind them, “ That’s good. Jesse’s a good kid, and wicked smart. You guys might get along.”

Something about his voice was a little bit weird, but Achilles chalked it up to them adjusting to being around each other. 

“ Well, now that the dishes are done, I’m gonna head to bed. Gotta be up bright and early in the morning to start in the garage.”   
  


“ And who said you could help in the shop?” The elder asked jokingly. 

Achilles stopped in their tracks, “ Mia said that you would be happy to have me help.”

Dom laughed, “ I’m just kidding. Mia was right, we’d be happy for you to help.”

Achilles smiled back at him, focusing on making out his facial features in the low lighting of the kitchen after dark. All soft angles were completely eliminated, and the hard angles were amplified tenfold. 

He had such a complex face, Achilles might’ve spent hours puzzling over it the way they did cars if it weren’t for that being an incredibly weird thing for them to do. 

“ Olay then,” their voice came out shakier than they would’ve liked, but it is what it is. “ I’ll uhh, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

* * *

  
The next morning, Achilles awoke to the sound of people moving throughout the bustling household. 

Heavy footprints padded around, the shower was running, and numerous conversations were going on at the same time. 

As they were struggling into some baggy pants and a work t-shirt, their door flew open. 

“ Oh Jesus Christ, Achilles what the fuck?” Jesse’s voice high pitch and panicky as he rushed to cover his eyes.

“ This is my room Jesse,” they pulled their shoes on. “ I’m dressed now Jesse you can open your eyes.”

Jesse’s face was flushed red when Achilles met his eyes again. Soft pink glow dusting his cheeks, lower lip being bitten between his two front teeth. 

“ C’mon, I wanna get something to eat before my first day at work!” Achilles couldn’t stop themself from bursting with excitement. Fixing cars was what they did best, and they were about to do nothing but that for a while. 

Mia was the only one not already in kitchen when Achilles and Jesse went down, which must’ve meant she was the one in the shower. 

“ Pick anything you want from the cupboards, we’ve got to go soon.” Dom said, shovelling cereal into his face as fast as was humanely possible.

“ Do you guys have PopTarts?” Achilles asked, scrounging around trying to find their favourite treat. 

“ Sorry kid, I got the last one,” Something about the way that Vince’s gross voice calling them kid disgusted them more than anything else so far. 

And the way that he waved the closed package of PopTarts in their face only served to infuriate them. 

As Vince stood up with the sugary treat in hand, Achilles’ vision went red. It was only for a moment, but when it passed, Vince was on the ground holding his groin, and Achilles was holding the PopTart. 

Their first instinct was to apologize, but they remembered that it was Vince they had harmed. Suddenly, they didn’t feel the need. 

“ Sorry, it looks like I have the last one now,” Achilles said mockingly before joining Dom in the hallway. 

Dom smiled at them secretly, so that Vince couldn’t get angry with him. “ Got your treat I see?” He raised an eyebrow. 

Achilles chomped down on the sugary breakfast food, nodding furiously. “ Tastes so much better than normal. Must be a different kind than I normally get.”

Dom and Jesse both laugh loudly as Vince scowled and everyone left the house. Mia curiously have appeared mysteriously at some point.


	7. Chapter 7

Unlike dinner, there was nothing awkward about working in the shop with everyone. Mia worked primarily in the restaurant, there weren't as many customers as Achilles thought there would've been but it didn't matter because the garage and the illegal street racing were probably pulling in enough money. 

" Excuse me, my car broke down a couple blocks away and I could really use some help." Achilles turned away from the parts they were sorting to see an old woman standing in the shop's driveway.

" I would be happy to, but we have a flat rate of $40, can you pay it?" Achillles felt bad asking an old lady for money, but they knew how to run a successful business. 

The woman nodded, " I can pay anything that you need, just please fix the car. It was the first car I bought with my husband. I can't bear to part with it." 

Achilles nodded, " Alright, I'm free right now, and I'm pretty good with old cars, if I do say so myself."

The elderly woman smiled and bowed slightly in gratitude. " Thank you so much." 

Achilles just smiled and grabbed a tool kit before signing it out and going with the old lady.

* * *

As it turned out, there was nothing serious, urgent or difficultly wrong with the old lady's car, she just blew her gasket, and her engine was overheating a little. Achilles could've had it done in the blink of an eye, but Mrs. Liang (the kind old lady) had insisted that they take breaks to drink water to deal with the heat. 

They had finished it up, and they would've been headed back, but Mrs. Liang had insisted they take a break before walking back. 

" So, Mrs. Liang, how did you end up in Echo Park? You live her or are you just passing through?" Achilles asked gulping down the frosty ice water as fast as possible. 

Mrs. Liang sat against the hood of her newly restored car right next to Achilles. " No, I live outside LA, on a small ranch. My husband and I started a fruit farm there in the sixties. I'm just headed to the community house to deliver some fruit to it." 

The kindness of the people here seemed to know no bounds. Dominic Toretto didn't even know them, or Brian two nights ago, and know Achilles was living with them now. Mrs. Liang wasn't a part of the Echo Park community, but she still donated fresh fruit from her farm to them. 

" Do you do that with all the community centers in LA?" 

Mrs. Liang shook her head. " No, I have special ties to the one her in Echo Park. I would do it for more places, but the farm isn't large enough. We sell everything else the farm outputs." 

Achilles nodded in agreement. " Still, that's an astoundingly nice thing to do. You really are a sweet person."

Mrs. Liang threw a shoulder around Achilles' shoulders and pulled them in for an unexpected side-hug. " Thank you dear. We may be from the big city, but people from this part of town tend to be kinder than you might expect." 

Achilles shook their head a little, unconsciously leaning further into Mrs. Liang's embrace. " I think the people here are exactly who I think they are, and that's what amazes me." 

They both sat silently for a while, not saying anything. Looking out over the neighborhood sipping on the refreshing water. It was the same kind of comforting silence that Achilles and their grandmother usually enjoyed together. The kind of silence that they had been few and far between since they had moved to LA. 

" Achilles, what the hell is happening?! Do you know how worried we've all been?!" Dom's voice interrupted the moment by chiding them loudly. " Hello again Mrs. Liang, nice to see. Thank you for taking care of Achilles, I don't know what I would do if something happened to them." 

Dom's words would've been heart-warming if Achilles hadn't known exactly what Dom meant. He wasn't worried about becoming too angry or heart-broken about something happening to them that he wouldn't be able to deal with it. He was worried about having to tell Brian that something happened to them. 

" Sorry Dom, I didn't mean to walk out on you and the shop, but Mrs. Liang blew a gasket and I came out here to fix it. I'm sorry," Achilles felt bad. In a way that they hadn't since they were a child being scolded by teachers and parents for their reckless actions. 

Dom shook his head. " It's fine, but we should get back. It was nice seeing you again Mrs. Liang." 

Mrs. Liang's voice stopped both mechanics in their tracks. " Here, let me pay you Dominic. It's the least I can do after stealing away such a charismatic and talented mechanic."

Dom tried to refuse the money a couple of times, but Mrs. Liang's insistence on paying the fee eventually won him over. As they headed back to the shop, Dom pulled the cash from Mrs. Liang out of his pocket. " Here kid, think of it as your allowance." 

Achilles laughed, " You know I am over the age of eighteen right? I'm not a child that needs to be given allowance to be able to buy candy or some knickknack from the corner store." 

Dom just laughed, " Does that mean you don't want the money."

Achilles smiled cheekily and plucked the money gingerly from his hand. " Now when did I say that? Hmm?" 


	8. Chapter 8

“ So, what are you planning now that you are a richie?” Letty joked on the way back to the house. She had offered to drive Achilles back just the two of them for some “ bonding time” when they were leaving the garage. 

It was meant as a friendly question, but it sent Achilles into a panic. They had never had money before, so they had no idea what they were supposed to do with it now that they did. Were you supposed to spend it on things you wanted? Or were they were supposed to save it to pay for something?

They weren’t going to college, they already knew that, but were they supposed to save it for something else?

They remembered other kids spending money from their parents on candy and fancy gadgets, but they didn’t know whether that was a good way to spend money now that they were an adult. No one had ever taught them anything. 

Letty’s voice laughing snapped them out of their shaken state. “ Chill out dude, I didn’t mean to give you an identity crisis or something. What’s up with that?” 

Achilles shrugged and looked down at the seat they were perched on. “ I’ve never had my own money to spend before. It’s only a couple hundred dollars but I’m still not sure what I’m supposed to do with it.” 

Letty shot them a weird look, “ What do you mean you’ve never had your own money to spend before.” 

“ Brian and I grew up with strict- yet somehow neglectful- parents. We never got any money from relatives, and they never gave us anything to spend. We just never had money.”

The way that Letty was looking at them was exactly what they didn’t want to happen with the Torettos. The pity that filled her eyes was something that Achilles would never get used to. 

They flashed back to the way their teachers and peers would look at them when they showed up to school with bruises from the fights lost almost every night after school. 

The way that Brian looked at them when he left them at their parents mercy, knowing what they were being abandoned to by him. 

Pity made them feel weak. They were fine with people caring about them, but they wanted it to be genuine. Not just because they felt bad about them out of human nature. 

Thankfully, Letty was smart enough to notice them and squared her face back to the way she normally kept it.

” Well you’ve got some now, but I would advise saving it. You don’t want to live with us forever right?” 

Achilles’ heart dropped. Dom had excepted them out of obligation, and since he was the “team leader” they all just had to deal with it. Sure, Jesse and them got along well enough, and Mia and Letty both seemed to tolerate them, but they were still there by force. 

“ Yeah I guess I don’t,” Achilles muttered as they hopped out of the car and headed up towards the house. 

Somehow the house looked different, more like the way that mansions looked to them. Something so beautiful and perfect, but so unattainable. 

They could look, they could even go inside, but they could never really be apart of it. Even if it had only been two days, the Toretto’s seemed like a stable family for them. They were, but Achilles could never be apart of it. 

Before they could enter the house, they looked up at Letty. “ I’m not that hungry, but I could use a walk. I’ll be back later.” 

They heard Letty saying something to try and stop them, but they were already making their way down the street. 

* * *

They had made it almost all the way to the beach by the time that it reached midnight. 

They could hear the ocean rolling over the sand, and the would be able to see it once they got over the hill. 

As soon as they saw the moon reflecting off of the water, they began to calm down. 

Brian was the better surfer of the two of them, but they had always loved the ocean as well. 

There wasn’t anywhere for them to swim when they lived in Barstow, but once Brian learned to drive he would steal their parents car when they were drunk or high and drive out to the coast. 

It was a long drive, but they were always able to make it back in time. They would spend the time swimming or surfing or just laying around in the sun until it was time to leave. 

Achilles sat down in the sand, ankles in the cool pacific water. They felt like crying, but they held it in. There was no one around to see them, but it didn’t feel right. They weren’t going to let a place that was full of nothing but happy memories to be ruined by one bad day. 

They pulled themself away from the edge of the water and curled up against a sand dune, promptly falling into a dreamless sleep.   
  


“ KID?! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?!”


	9. Chapter 9

_Achilles woke up to complete darkness, clouds must've moved to cover the moon and stars. They were a little bit panicked, but there was a sense of calm deep in their bones that stopped them from worrying too much about it._

_They stood up, but they still couldn't see the waves. They couldn't hear them either, but they just let it go, continuing to search through the sand for any sign of their shoes._

_" Why did you run?" They froze, it was Brian. Why was Brian here?_

_They turned, and for some reason they could see him perfectly, as if he was glowing so they could see him- despite the fact that they couldn't even see the tip of their own nose._

_" Bri-"_

_" No! Stay quiet! Do you know what I've done to take care of you? Everything I've done to make sure that you're okay? I worked so hard to find people who were willing to tolerate you, to ignore that you are completely messed up! But know, Achilles just had to go and ruin the only good thing that they'll ever have! You disgust me!"_

_" Brian, I-I" They tried but a hand on their shoulder turned them around aggressively._

_" He's right, you never should've run Achilles!" Dom's voice calling them by their name shocked them; he calls only ever calls them Kid or Kiddo. " I was willing to put up with all of your bad traits as long as you were willing to stick around, but now that you've run, why would I take you back. You ruined this yourself, and now there's no reason why we would want you back."_

_" No, no, no, no," they grabbed at their hair, tugging roughly on it trying to ground themself. It wasn't working, his taunting laugh running through their head._

_" Yes, you blew it. Sorry Kid, but I've finally got an excuse to get rid of you, and I am taking it."_

_Achilles dropped to their knees as Brian continued to shout random words and Dom's laughter grew in their ears. Tears fell from their face, warm and hot against their skin. They tried to wipe them away and stop themself from making even more of a fool of themself, but it wouldn't stop._

_" You are pathetic."_

_" Completely useless."_

_" Foolish."_

_" Stupid."_

_" Arrogant."_

_" Annoying."_

_Their voices mixed and muddled until they became one monstrous concoction of sharp verbal knives. Achilles couldn't even tell who was speaking, or how to respond. They pounded their fists against the soft sand and shook their head vigorously._

_Suddenly all the noise ceased, and they were left completely alone. They could still feel Dom and Brian's presences near them, but neither of them were saying anything._

" KID?! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" 

Achilles shot up in their sleep, opening their eyes despite the bright sunlight gleaming off of the water. They could've sworn that it was Dom's voice that had called to them, but they couldn't see if anywhere. 

They didn't have a watch or a phone on them, so they couldn't check the time, but it was early enough in the morning that the beach wasn't crowded, but that there were already surfers and open-water swimmers in the water. 

They got up and grabbed their combat boots, tugging them on along with their socks. Achilles pulled themself up the steep incline up to the highway and looked out over the water. 

It was beautiful. Glistening like diamonds in the sunlight as deep waves rolled towards the sand. It was magical, a moment of beauty that they never really got to appreciate, at least not all that often. 

" You know," a deep, gravelly voice coming up behind them. " I was talking to you." 

Achilles breathed deeply, letting their heart rate get back to normal after Dom scared them right of their drowsy, post-woken up state. They were almost sure that they had imagined Dom's voice waking them up, but it would appear they hadn't. 

He leaned against the highway railing as well, not look at them and simply focusing on the waves just as they were. 

" Sorry," Achilles muttered quietly in response, keeping their eyes focused on the waves to stop themself from psyching out. 

Dom's face remained stoic, " Did Letty say something to you? She said that you just left last night, before you even got in the house. You gonna tell me what that's about?"

Achilles shook their head and grunted, refusing to say a word to Dom despite how nice he was being to them. 

" I'll tell you what, your going to come home, just so that Jesse will stop worrying. Before that though, we're going to get you some food." Dom started walking back towards the car, not bothering to check whether or not Achilles was following. 

They supposed there was no reason for him to check, Achilles wasn't really in the position to turn him down. Their stomach had audibly grumbled when Dom had mentioned food, so they were completely unable to deny that they needed the help. 

" Fine," they whispered, mostly to confirm to themself that they were actually taking him up on the offer. " I'll come back, as long as breakfast is good though." 

Dom chuckled and smiled at them, " I promise, this breakfast is going to be good enough to buy you into staying home for a least two more weeks." 

Achilles stopped the process of putting on the seat belt in the middle of their movement at the mention of "home". Dom thought that his house was there home, that's what he called it. It wasn't just his house, it was their house, along with Jesse and Mia and Letty and Vince. Achilles got to be apart of that group. 

Even if Brian really thought the way that he told them he did in their dream, they had some different kind of family now. And for the first time, they had a home. One that was permanent, if they wanted it to be. 


End file.
